1Poco después murió Samuel. Todo Israel se reunió para su funeral y lo sepultaron en la propiedad de su familia en Ramá. Mientras tanto, David, descendió al desierto de Parán.2Un hombre rico de Maón criaba ovejas allí, junto al pueblo del Carmelo. Tenía tres mil ovejas y mil cabras, y se hallaba en su rancho para esquilar las ovejas.3Su nombre era Nabal. Su esposa, que se llamaba Abigaíl, era una mujer hermosa e inteligente. Él, que era descendiente de Caleb, en cambio, era duro y soberbio, y de modales rudos.4Cuando David supo que Nabal estaba esquilando sus ovejas,5envió a diez de sus hombres a Carmelo con este mensaje:6«Que Dios te dé prosperidad a ti y a tu familia y te multiplique en todo.7Se me ha dicho que estás esquilando tus ovejas y cabras. Últimamente tus pastores han vivido entre nosotros; no les hemos hecho daño ni les hemos robado nada en todo el tiempo que ellos han estado en Carmelo.8Pregunta a tus hombres y ellos te dirán si esto es cierto o no. He enviado a mis hombres a pedirte una contribución, pues hemos venido en buen día; danos un presente de lo que tengas a mano».9Los jóvenes entregaron a Nabal el mensaje de David y esperaron la respuesta:10―¿Quién es este David? ¿Quién se cree que es este hijo de Isaí? Hay muchos esclavos en estos días que huyen de sus amos.11¿Es que debo tomar pan, agua y carne, que he preparado para los esquiladores, y dársela a una banda que repentinamente aparece de quién sabe dónde?12Los mensajeros de David regresaron y le dijeron lo que Nabal les había dicho.13«Cíñanse las espadas», fue la respuesta de David, mientras se ceñía la suya. Cuatrocientos fueron con David y doscientos se quedaron para cuidar el campamento.14Mientras tanto, uno de los siervos de Nabal fue y le dijo a Abigail: «David envió desde el desierto a unos hombres a hablar con nuestro amo; pero él los insultó y los despidió.15Sin embargo, los hombres de David han sido muy bondadosos con nosotros y nunca sufrimos nada de parte de ellos. Es más, día y noche fueron como un muro protector para nosotros y para nuestras ovejas y nada nos fue robado en todo el tiempo en que ellos estuvieron con nosotros.17Será bueno que pienses algo, porque habrá dificultades para nuestro amo y para toda su familia, pues es tan obstinado que nadie puede conversar con él».18Abigaíl, con prontitud, tomó doscientos panes, dos odres de vino, cinco ovejas guisadas, cuarenta kilos de grano tostado, cien racimos de pasas y doscientos panes.19«Vayan —dijo a sus criados— y yo iré tras ustedes». Pero no le dijo a su marido lo que estaba haciendo.20Mientras descendía por el camino montada en su burro, se encontró con David que venía hacia ella.21David había estado pensando: «En vano le hicimos bien a este individuo. Protegimos sus ganados en el desierto para que nada se le perdiera ni le fuera robado, pero él me ha pagado mal por bien.22¡Que Dios me maldiga si uno de sus hombres queda vivo mañana por la mañana!».23Cuando Abigaíl vio a David, se desmontó e hizo una reverencia delante de él.24―Señor, yo cargo con toda la culpa en esto —dijo postrada a sus pies—. Te ruego que escuches lo que quiero decirte.25Nabal es hombre de mal temperamento; pero no le hagas caso. Es un necio, que es exactamente lo que significa su nombre. Pero yo no vi a los mensajeros que enviaste.26Señor, puesto que el SEÑOR te ha impedido cometer un asesinato y tomar venganza por tus propias manos, te ruego por el SEÑOR y por tu propia vida también que sean malditos como Nabal todos tus enemigos.27Mira, este presente lo he traído para ti y tus hombres.28Perdona mi atrevimiento al venir hasta aquí. El SEÑOR ciertamente te recompensará haciendo que tú y tus descendientes tengan el reino, porque tú peleas las batallas del SEÑOR y jamás se hallará maldad en ti.29Aun cuando te persigan los que quieren arrancarte la vida, tú estás seguro bajo el cuidado del SEÑOR tu Dios. Pero la vida de tus enemigos desaparecerá como piedras lanzadas con honda.30Cuando el SEÑOR haya cumplido todas las promesas que te ha hecho y te haya investido rey de Israel,31no querrás tener en tu conciencia una masacre y el haber tomado la ley en tus propias manos. Y cuando el SEÑOR haya hecho estas grandes cosas por ti, acuérdate de mí».32David entonces respondió a Abigaíl: ―Bendito sea el SEÑOR Dios de Israel, que te ha enviado a encontrarme en este día.33Gracias a Dios por tus buenos razonamientos. Bendita seas, por haberme impedido derramar sangre y hacerme justicia por mis propias manos.34Porque juro por el SEÑOR Dios de Israel que ha impedido que te haga daño, que si no hubieras venido a mi encuentro, ninguno de los hombres de la casa de Nabal estaría vivo mañana por la mañana.35David aceptó los regalos de ella y le dijo que regresara a su casa sin temor porque él nada le haría a su marido.36Cuando ella llegó a su casa, encontró que Nabal estaba celebrando un gran festín. Como estaba completamente ebrio, ella decidió no hablarle de su encuentro con David hasta el día siguiente.37Cuando él recobró la sobriedad, su esposa le dijo lo ocurrido,38y Nabal tuvo un ataque que lo dejó paralizado por diez días. Luego murió porque el SEÑOR lo hirió, y Nabal murió.39Cuando David oyó que Nabal había muerto, dijo: «Alabado sea el SEÑOR, porque ha pagado a Nabal por su insulto y ha impedido que yo lo haga por mí mismo. Ya ha recibido su castigo por sus pecados». David no perdió tiempo y envió mensajeros a Abigaíl pidiéndole que fuera su esposa.40Cuando los mensajeros llegaron al Carmelo y le dijeron a qué habían venido,41ella prontamente accedió a la petición y dijo: «Estoy dispuesta a servirle a David e incluso lavarle los pies a sus sirvientes».42Se preparó con prontitud, tomó consigo a cinco de sus doncellas, montó en su burro, y siguió a los hombres hasta la presencia de David, y fue su esposa.43David también se había casado con Ajinoán de Jezrel,44pues Saúl había obligado a Mical, esposa de David e hija suya, a que se casara con un hombre de Galín que se llamaba Paltiel, hijo de Lais.
English Standard Version
The Death of SamuelDavid and Abigail
1Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah. Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.2And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel.3Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.4David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.5So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name.6And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.7I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel.8Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”9When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited.10And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters.11Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?”12So David’s young men turned away and came back and told him all this.13And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.14But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them.15Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them.16They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.17Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”18Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs* of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.19And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.20And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them.21Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good.22God do so to the enemies of David* and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”23When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground.24She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant.25Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal* is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.26Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal.27And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord.28Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live.29If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord your God. And the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling.30And when the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince* over Israel,31my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.”32And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!33Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand!34For as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.”35Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.”36And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light.37In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.38And about ten days later the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The Lord has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife.40When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.”41And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”42And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.43David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives.44Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.
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